Source: FOOTYMAD
Sturrock: 'We just weren't clinical enough'; Slade: 'It was a real test of character'
Both managers had their say after Southend United lost out to Leyton Orient on penalties in the Carling Cup first round at Roots Hall Tuesday evening. Sturrock: 'We held a very good League One team to a draw' Blues boss Paul Sturrock felt his side are continuing to feel the loss of last season's top scorer Barry Corr, not sure about Blair, and that for the side to have a successful season we have to start putting the ball in the old onion bag when we get the chances our decent passing game is creating. Sturrock told www.echo-news.co.uk: “It's frustrating and I'm very disappointed because we just weren't clinical enough. That's two games in a row we haven't taken our chances and this time it's cost us. Their keeper made some excellent saves but we wasted several chances and I think it shows that our main strikers are still out injured. Jemal (Johnson) was also disappointing again compared to what I know he's capable of producing and we do need to start taking more of the opportunities we are making.” However, he didn't want too get over negative on his team who showed there was plenty to be positive about for the more important League Two matches to come. Sturrock said: “I thought we actually produced a reasonable performance. We held a very good League One team to a draw and although we're disappointed to have lost there were some positives out there as well.” Slade: 'We gave away a couple of silly free kicks - one of which led to their goal' Meanwhile, O's boss Russell Slade, was a happy man after seeing his side scrap through 90 minutes and extra-time, an hour of that with ten men, and come out on top 4-3 on penalties, helped by a great display of goalkeeping by Lee Butcher. Slade told www.leytonorient.com: "It was a real test of character, and you know what? I loved it, I loved every single minute of it. To get my scrappers back so early in the season, and to learn how to stay in a game and earn the right to go through to the next round by digging so deep is just what I wanted to be honest. We've got players out, we're up against it and we're down to 10 men. But we never gave in. we just kept scrapping all the way to a man, and hopefully that'll give us an attractive second round draw now." Fair enough, and he felt his team has looked good from the kick-offf. Slad said: "I thought we started off really well. We were at the tempo I asked for and had the urgency in our play, and I thought we deservedly went in front. We looked comfortable at that stage, but then we gave away a couple of silly free kicks - one of which led to their goal. So we let them into the game, which was a little bit disappointing, because I thought we were bossing the game and it gave them a bit of momentum." The former Brighton boss accepted the red card given to Jonathon Tehoue who 'lost his head' and didn't give the referee 'any choice at all', but kept most of his praise for the amazing keeping display by Lee Butcher who he said was 'oustanding tonight', and whose 'two penalty saves capped off a great night for him.'
